Chapter 1 #2
Her sister had struggled her entire life thanks to the abuse she’d suffered at their father’s hands when she’d been less than a year old.
For most of her life, her hearing had been completely gone.
Then, a little over a year ago, she’d had cochlear implant surgery, which had finally allowed her to hear and start using her voice instead of relying on American Sign Language all the time.
What had happened to Faye had strengthened Ally’s resolve to protect Charlotte from Ted when they’d been together. She was not going to let Charlotte go through what Faye had.
She didn’t give a damn if the man hit her, but the moment he’d laid a hand on her daughter, it had sent her over the edge.
Ally closed the door behind them and the rich scent of roasted peppers filled the house. Her stomach growled in appreciation. She hadn’t eaten anything since the handful of crackers and the piece of cheese she’d had after making Charlotte her lunch.
“Pride Pueblo Cocina,” Faye said with a smile.
“That place is one of my favorites,” she told her. In truth, most of the places to eat in the small town were her favorites in different ways.
“We figured you two would be hungry,” Nate said, setting the bag on the counter and starting to unpack foil containers. “They are so busy tonight, we had to wait almost half an hour to get their enchiladas. They’re worth every minute.”
Faye laughed softly, and her sister’s voice sounded so different. “Lately, I’m obsessed with these and their tamales,” Faye added as she sat down.
Charlotte abandoned Nate’s leg long enough to peek into the bags. “Do they have churros?”
“Of course.” Nate winked, handing her the paper bag as though he’d brought it just for her. Charlotte squealed and rushed to the sofa with her prize.
Ally leaned against the counter, watching her sister, in awe of how much she’d grown.
A year ago, Faye had been the one healing, piecing her life back together after everything their father had stolen from her childhood.
She’d been the one living in the lighthouse temporarily.
Then she’d fallen for Nate, and they had found the Ocean’s Heart diamond, together.
Nate had anchored her in a way that Ally hadn’t thought possible.
Now, her little sister practically glowed.
Marriage suited her. Happiness suited her.
“How’s the house coming along?” Ally asked, trying to steer her thoughts into safer waters.
Faye’s smile widened. “Almost finished. The last coat of paint in the guest room went up this week, and we finally picked out the last curtains without arguing about the color.” She shot Nate a teasing look.
“I wasn’t arguing,” he countered, his tone mock-defensive as he scooped rice onto a plate. “I was making sure the house didn’t look like a floral explosion. There’s a difference.”
“Uh-huh,” Faye teased, bumping her hip against him.
The easy banter between them warmed Ally more than the food did. For a moment, she let herself imagine what it might be like to have that, to sit across the table from someone who didn’t raise their voice, didn’t twist love into a weapon, didn’t make her fear every breath she took.
“Here,” Faye said, sliding a plate of enchiladas toward her. “Eat. You look like you’ve been living on coffee and nerves.”
She laughed softly, though her throat tightened. She was suddenly grateful for the steam rising off the plate, hoping it would hide her expression. “Maybe just a little.”
Nate pulled out a chair for Charlotte, who climbed up, half a churro in hand and happy as could be.
All Ally wanted now was quiet and maybe a few months away from the constant fear of being followed by one of Ted’s goons.
She knew that he had a handful of private investigators following her every move. Every time they ended up in court, they would present images and video of her to prove that she wasn’t good enough to mother their child.
The case was always tossed out because there was nothing there to prove that she wasn’t a loving mother. Because she was. She’d do anything for Charlotte. Anything.
Ally may have not been good at most things, but she was a damned good mother.
Charlotte was her life. Everything she did was for that child. She’d gladly give up everything she had, as little as that was, to make sure that girl never wanted for anything.
“We’re heading out this weekend to go up to Nate’s buddy’s cabin to collect firewood,” Faye said as they ate.
“Max has already had the wood delivered for this place.” She motioned toward the back door.
“It’s stacked just outside. I will let you in on a secret.
” She leaned forward. “The rooms upstairs get much warmer than the one down here. You should stay up there.”
“Thanks, we planned on staying upstairs. Charlotte has picked the room you were in, and I have the one across the hallway.”
“Max had me put a lock on the door to the secret tunnel so Charlotte won’t try and go down there,” he added in sign language so Charlotte wouldn’t hear. The girl had turned to watch the television.
“Thanks,” she signed back. “Max told me he was going to lock up the tunnels. Charlotte knows about them, so it’s good to know she can’t get in them,” she added in sign.
“You’re doing it again,” Charlotte said when she turned around and saw them talking with their hands. She had started to teach Charlotte basic signs and even though her daughter was picking it up, she had only mastered the ABCs so far.
“Sorry, bug.” She smiled. “Why don’t you finish up your taco and then go watch your show while Mommy and your aunt and uncle finish adult talking?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and then shoved the rest of her taco in her mouth.
“How old is she again? I could have sworn she wasn’t a teenager yet,” Faye joked.
“Sometimes she reminds me of you,” Ally said absently. “The way she rolls her eyes and pouts reminds me of how much of a brat you were.” She smiled as she looked over at her sister. Faye rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s the look.” Ally pointed at her and then laughed when Faye stuck out her tongue.
“Do you think Max and Juliette are ever going to just stay home?” Faye asked with a sigh.
“I think your brother is showing my sister the world,” Nate said with a grin. “I have it—” he started and then shook his head.
“What?” Faye and Ally said at the same time.
“I’m not supposed to…” He held up a finger and pulled out his phone. He texted someone and, after he got a reply, he dialed a number.
“They’re both here,” he said when someone answered. “I’m putting you on speaker.” He held his phone out.
“Hey.” Max’s voice sounded on the speaker. Ally’s heart raced. “So, yeah, um, we’ll be home in four months, which will give us a couple months to get the nursery ready.”
Faye frowned and shook her head. Ally signed what their brother had said, which had both of them squealing with joy.
“You knew before me?” Faye slapped Nate’s shoulder playfully. Nate winced.
“I overheard Juliette telling my folks,” he said, laughing. “Thanks, Max. I hope all is going great down there.”
“It is,” Max said cheerfully. “Ally, did you and Charlotte get there okay?”
“We did. I haven’t unpacked everything yet, but I’ll get there.”
“Remember, our home is yours while you’re there. Take whatever rooms you want. The warmer ones during cold nights are—”
“Upstairs,” she finished. “Faye has just clued me in on that.”
“Good. Well, they want me back on the set. Who knew being a producer would be this demanding.”
“You love it,” Faye added. “Give our love to Juliette.”
“Will do, love you all,” Max said and then hung up.
“Well.” Nate stood up and stretched. “We should get heading home. The weather is getting worse out there.” He helped Faye take all the trash into the kitchen. “Max said he stocked the kitchen for you.” He glanced in a cupboard and smiled. “Looks like he overstocked it for you.”
She hadn’t looked yet. Hadn’t even thought about food since arriving. She was just grateful to be out of the city for once.
“Good night,” she said as she walked them to the door. Charlotte rushed to hug them both before they left.
“What do you say we head upstairs and unpack?” Charlotte let out a groan at this idea.
“I know, but you need your bath and I want to make sure we’re nice and cozy for the night.
” She lifted her daughter in her arms as she walked by and turned off the television set.
Then she made sure all of the doors were locked before heading up the stairs.
The house was huge, easily bigger than the one she and Ted had lived in all those years ago.
Which gave her pause. She’d grown accustomed to living in smaller spaces.
She and Charlotte had shared a room at her mother’s house, then she’d rented a few small apartments in the past year or so. Whatever she had been able to afford.
Tonight would be the first night her daughter slept in her own bedroom. How was she going to make it through a night in a bed without Charlotte kicking her?
While her daughter played in the bathtub, Ally unpacked her small suitcase and two boxes that held everything she owned.
After getting Charlotte out of the bath and dressed in her unicorn pajamas, she braided her daughter’s long hair while they talked about the room she was staying in.
Charlotte had so many questions about the place. It wasn’t the first time they’d stayed there. They had visited many times before, but they had always slept in that room together while her mother had taken the room she was going to stay in.
“Why isn’t there a TV in here?” Charlotte asked when she was done braiding her hair and had lifted her up to the bed.
“Because there isn’t,” she answered as she pulled back the covers and motioned for her daughter to climb under.
“There’s a TV in the room downstairs. I could—”
“No,” Ally said with a shake of her head. “We talked about this. Bedrooms are for sleeping.”
Her daughter rolled her eyes again.
“Play me a song?” Charlotte started jumping on the bed.
“If you climb under the covers and…” Charlotte stopped bouncing and got under the covers to wait for the next instruction. “And you don’t complain about not having a TV in the room the entire stay here.”
Her daughter rolled her eyes but nodded.
She walked across the hallway and took out the old guitar she’d bought the previous summer.
She had always wanted to learn how to play.
She was still struggling with it, but was far better than when she had started.
Sitting on the side of the bed, she tuned it before starting Charlotte’s favorite, a Taylor Swift song.
Before the end of the second song, her daughter was fast asleep.
As she walked back into the room that would be hers for the next few months, doubt crept in.
Was moving here really the right decision?
What would she do when Ted eventually found them?
Because he would, it was only a matter of time.
She’d even had to give his lawyers her new address so the small child support checks he was legally obligated to send her could keep coming.
The irony wasn’t lost on her. Ted had once paid a nanny twice as much to watch Charlotte while she was in the hospital, yet she’d had to fight for nearly two years to get those meager monthly payments.
What sort of problems was he going to cause for them now?
For now, she had to find a job and secure a place for them to live once Max and Juliette came back home.
A job, she knew, would be easy enough. After all, for the past few years she’d been waitressing at some of the best places in Portland.
Besides, Nate and Faye owned the local book shop slash coffee bar in town, the Brew-Ha-Ha. Nate had already offered her a job, which she had told him she would take if she couldn’t find anything else.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she felt a shiver race over her spine. Pulling on her pajamas, she gave up trying to pretend she would be sleeping in the bed alone and crawled into bed with Charlotte, pulling her daughter into her arms and falling fast asleep.